Yesterday’s highlights were 2 chiro appointments. On Wed I searched thru my insurance carrier listing of Chiropractors in Bend and searched against chiros specializing in Cranial sacral beleiving that inn the past that treatment method silenced my SI joint. Found a chiro that match both criteria. made an appointment for yesterday as I need to make the SI quiet for my upcoming 70 mile epic ride on Sat. First appointment was for interview and Xrays. the DR asked about my injuries & surgeries. He wrote 1 side then started on another side of the paper. Took Xrays of my spine in different sections & aspects. Plan is for him to review Xrays and treat me luckily later that day.
I filled the intervening time by doing my wash then wandering downtown Bend. Give me time and people and conversations occur. I visited an antique book collector store. The proprietor told of a person who stole rare books from her, Reminded me of a Bob Edwards show about this particular book thief.
Back @ chiro he secretes us in a conference room w/ an Xray viewer and my Xrays. He says he has discovered my problem: My left leg is 9mm shorter than my right. as a result my spine looks like a country road. He made several adjustments. Quite something to feel & hear my neck pop & crackle as he twisted it just so to the right and then the left. He gave me a 7mm heel riser for an adjustment period b4 I switch to full 9mm wedge. All that book learning w/ the education institution only pulling my right leg. I am icing my SI joint. Since putting the rider in my left shoe I stand straighter. My balance improved also. One body w/ so many chiropractors’ diagnosis and treatment. SI pain is lessened. He said that biking is great for exercise because it is not weight bearing. I will not require the lift in my biking shoe.
Registered for Bend’s Big Fat Festival since 1994. Received a Tshirt & pint glass. SO much stuff so little room in my van. I plan on trading stuff to lighten my load. I was shown the route for the Sat 70 mile ride. I feel better about riding it. My hip is better, the route has steep climbing right @ first followed by lots of downhill miles then a big gentle climb then mostly downhill back to Bend. The sign up guy said that the cut off times are healthy and that I should pass in time. Mark Driver from Sun Valley didn’t make it.
Back out @ Phil’s TH campsite. Chilly temp winnows out the tent campers. Just above freezing. I slept w/o heat to see if I would sleep better as I have not been sleeping like my usual dead dog sleep. No difference. Turned on heater and waited for van to warm up b4 getting up. Today was a rest day and preparing for Sat ride. I downloaded my bank statement and reconciled activity against MS Money. Overcast AM but inside my van I was toasty.
Worked on bike.
Drove into town afternoon to mail a package and see what would happen. Break
Cleaned kitchen up. Softening up my honey jar in hot h2o.
On way to PO I saw a Safeway grocery where I could buy postage to mail package instead of longer drive to PO. Strike out @ Safeway but clerk gave up a mail shipping business a short distance away. Drove the distance and saw 2 bike shops across the street. I parked on the street @ one of the shops and walked to mail package. When i returned to van I young couple made smiling eye contact w/ me. They checked out my van and saw Pisgah. I walked up wearing the same Pisgah jersey. Devon & Lauren are from Asheville here on a 2 month road trip climbing & mtn biking. He is an Outward Bound instructor @ Asheville and she is in wilderness therapy having completed a NOLS course. So cool. We stood in the building shade talking for awhile until the chill got to me and we walked across the street into the sun. They said they miss Asheville. And i was connected to their place as we shared stories.
Years ago someone told me an Outward Bound story. I told it to these folks and he concurred having pulled it himself only using the fig stuffing from a fig newton.
The Story: OB students spend their time literally at the feet of the course instructors. The program climaxes w/ a solo self sufficiency test. Upon completion you have completed the program, you have earned your wings. The instructors have finished their job and are like higher peers than students. One instructor took his grads on a hike telling them about aditional tricks of the trade that missed the program. One was being able to pick edible stuff from animal scat, the scat had to be just right. The instructor happened upon a pile of elk shit. He said this was a perfect plop to pick thru. He pulled a leathery piece out, blew it off, and put in his mouth and chewed. The students were aghast: they trusted him for safety, was he really on the level? Unknown to the students the instructor went out last night and placed a piece of jerky in the plop which is what he chewed on. Trust.
Finally broke away and drove back to sleep spot @ Phil’s.
All things are coming together for tomorrow’s ride. temp will be about freezing @ the start warming to 60 high. Chilly then warm.
Ordered new Formula RX brake from Price Point. In next week, shipping address is the Chiro clinic.
Much of the forest that the phil’s trail complex is on has been selectively cut using the self propelled chain saw and the slash removed creating very open forest of young Ponderosa pine. Bend is fun riding, mostly cardio, little scary stuff.
Dean from Sedona called tonight. He made the red Bull Rampage outside of Zion NP. Enjoyed visiting w/ him. We rode together on my first Sedona ride and a shower @ his house.
Off.